While he'll never be confused for a card-carrying member of the National Rifle Association, U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., opposes a bill being drafted that would make it illegal to carry a firearm within 1,000 feet of a federal official.

Himes questioned the effectiveness of a gun ban, which conservative Republican Rep. Pete King of Long Island proposed after last week's failed assassination attempt of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., during a constituent event in Tucson, Ariz., where a gunman with an apparent history of mental illness killed six people and wounded 14 others.

"The King proposal, first of all, I don't think makes us any safer," Himes said. "Many proposals would distance people and reduce access to their elected officials. There's another proposal to put Plexiglass up in the House chamber."

Not only did Himes say it would be totally impractical trying to enforce such a law, but he doubts it would have prevented last weekend's massacre.

Jared Loughner, 22, faces life in prison or the death penalty for the shootings.

"All this stuff misses the point," Himes said. "He was clearly willing to break the law. The solution here is to keep firearms out of the hands of deranged people."

Himes is also siding against a proposal by Rep. Bob Brady, D-Pa., to make it a federal crime to use threatening language or symbols against a member of Congress. Referred to as the "Sarah Palin bill," the proposed crackdown was spawned by the former Alaska governor and vice presidential candidate's use of the cross-hairs of a rifle on the congressional districts of targeted Democrats such as Giffords on her political action website.

"I tend to be a real advocate for the First Amendment," Himes said. "I will always lean in to individuals having the right to saying what they want. I acknowledge that there is a point where free speech can become incitement to violence."

"I see it as a degradation of our political dialogue," Himes said. "Ever since last Saturday, I've been hesitant to draw a straight line from the language of `lock and load' to what happened in Tucson. I don't think we should pass laws banning it, but I think as a civilized people we should say this is not the kind of debate that we aspire to."

For any legislation to get the support of U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., his aides said that it must strike the delicate balance between the First and Second amendments and improving security.

Newly sworn U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., was not available to address specific proposals, but released a statement Friday through his spokesman Ty Matsdorf.

"Senator Blumenthal will carefully review the different proposals and work to determine the best ways to make our state and our nation safer," Matsdorf said.

One proposal that is gaining traction with at least Himes is a cap on the number of bullets held in gun magazines at 10, which is expected to be introduced in the coming week by U.S. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, D-N.Y.

McCarthy's husband was murdered and her son was severely wounded by gunman Colin Ferguson during the 1993 Long Island Rail Road shooting massacre. The manufacture of high-capacity magazines was prohibited from 1994 to 2004 under the federal assault weapons ban, but the law did not apply to existing magazines. Lieberman's aides noted that he supported the 1994 Brady Handgun Violence Protection Act, also known as the "Brady Bill." Lieberman has also championed closing a "gun show loophole," that critics say allows convicted felons and those with mental illnesses to circumvent background checks on the purchase of firearms, his aides said.

Himes said he is inclined to support McCarthy's bill.

"It's hard to imagine a legitimate need for technology which facilitates the killing of a lot of people," Himes said. "I'm really interested in, can we have better registries and better background checks? I'm not anti-guns. I'm anti-violent people having guns."

Staff writer Neil Vigdor can be reached at neil.vigdor@scni.com or at 203-625-4436.